


The Measure of Mouse and Man

by ineptshieldmaid



Series: Men of Honour [1]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-07
Updated: 2008-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-10 15:39:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/101363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineptshieldmaid/pseuds/ineptshieldmaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first piece in my 'Men of Honour' series: Reepicheep observes the return of Edmund and Lucy to Narnia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Measure of Mouse and Man

**Author's Note:**

> I have chosen not to use archive warnings for my Narnia fic, because the ages and maturity levels of characters in Narnia don't map neatly onto our concepts of "underage" and "of age".
> 
> You can find an explanation of my policy re: age of consent in fiction [here](http://ineptshieldmaid.dreamwidth.org/189551.html). This series explores issues of age and maturity in relation to sex and other relationships. I do not believe that the sexual relationship in this series exploits age related power disparities.

People often underestimated Reepicheep by virtue of his species. Happily, they seldom did so more than once. Many were no longer capable of underestimating anyone after their first encounter with a Talking Mouse, and those who still possessed the vitality with which to do so were thenceforth circumspect about disparaging the strength, honour or status of even the most innocuous of small mammals.

    There are, however, other ways of underestimating a person of any size. One might assume, for example, that an honour-bound, flamboyant knight with a hero complex, be he Man or Mouse, did not possess the eyes of a hawk or the shrewd insight of an owl. Reepicheep was content be underestimated in this regard. It did not, after all, insult his honour in any way- many an honourable Mouse has all the courage of a lion and all the powers of perception commonly bestowed on thick bricks. In addition, a person of Reepicheep's small physical stature often found it in his best interests to notice more than others thought he did.

    On the day that Caspian fished King Edmund, Queen Lucy and their benighted cousin Eustace out of the ocean, no one was worrying about Reepicheep or what he might notice. They were all, quite frankly, too dumbfounded to notice anything beyond their own surprise. Reepicheep, however, was paying close attention, from his position in the open cabin door. At first he was paying close attention, his paw on his sword hilt, lest the strangers turn out to be any danger to King Caspian or the crew. However, as the first of the rescued persons leaned over the side to watch the others hauled up, Reepicheep recognised the paw of Aslan at work, for this was Queen Lucy, grown taller and stronger that when Reepicheep had last seen her. Her bearing, even bruised and dripping wet on the Dawn Treader's deck, showed hints of a magnificent young woman for whose favour knights would come to strive from all around. She went at once to her brother when he was hauled over the ship's rail, putting her arms about him to share what little warmth she had gained. When that snivelling coward Eustace was dragged aboard, it was Lucy who went to him first and was pushed away.

    King Edmund had been standing, shivering and struck dumb, on the deck. Reepicheep was not sure if His Majesty knew where he was, although he would wager Queen Lucy knew from the moment she found herself in the sea. When Eustace refused to be consoled by Her Majesty, then King Edmund seemed to gain some sense of himself. He reached out and caught Queen Lucy by the arm, shaking his head and saying something that Reepicheep could not hear. Arms around each other, the drenched sovereigns turned their attention back to the ship's rail, over which King Caspian was hauled by the crew.

    'Ca- Ca- Caspian!' Queen Lucy stammered, staring at the King. There were greetings all round, and then there was the kerfuffle with Eustace being sick over the side, and Caspian sent Rynelf for spiced wine. Reepicheep thought it prudent to remain in the background for a time- he thought it might be poor form to overwhelm Their Majesties with greetings (and truth be told, he was waiting for an opportune moment in which to make a grand entrance. He rather thought Queen Lucy would be impressed with his splendid appearance, and did not want to spoil it for her by joining Their Majesties before they were somewhat recovered from their shock.) He used the time while Their Majesties caught their breath and warmed themselves with wine to take stock of the situation. King Caspian, King Edmund and Queen Lucy were all men and women of honour, of that Reepicheep had no doubt- although he had already disqualified Eustace from that category. Nevertheless, even men and women of honour have their tensions (sometimes the more so for their honour) and it behoves a Mouse loyal to his sovereign to think carefully when the number of sovereigns in the immediate locale triples without warning.

    Queen Lucy, as he had seen at once, was every inch the Queen he knew, from the moment she was hauled aboard ship, and she was nothing but delighted to be in Narnia again. She greeted Caspian with open arms and positively glowed when he called her 'Majesty'. King Caspian, for his part, was equally happy to see the young Queen and, although dripping wet and half-dressed, made her his most courtly bow and bestowed on her his most heart-winning smile.

    No one- not even Queen Lucy, Reepicheep decided- was happy to see Eustace, and Eustace was happy to see no one and nothing. Reepicheep thought he could be dismissed from present considerations, although he might cause trouble later.

    Which left King Edmund. His Majesty, it seemed, was not himself at present, if by 'himself' one meant King Edmund the Just of Narnia, which Reepicheep did. That much was plain to see. It was not that he was too much a boy: he was taller now than he had been when Reepicheep last saw him, and, if not yet broader, his gangly frame would fill out soon enough. He had not three years' growth on him, and Reepicheep surmised that time must have passed more slowly for the ancient Kings and Queens in their world. When last Reepicheep had seen Their Majesties, King Edmund had been yet a boy, but stood with the confidence and royal bearing of a grown man, and nothing passed his sharp eyes unnoticed. At present, he stood on the deck looking like nothing so much as a lost schoolboy, wondering who he was, and where, and when.

    King Caspian, for his part, greeted King Edmund with warmth, but not, Reepicheep noticed, the same delight with which he greeted Lucy. The older King was sizing up the younger; Reepicheep thought Edmund knew it, too, and shrunk a little into himself. Perhaps he did not realise that the set of Caspian's jaw said that he had not found the younger king wanting- in fact, if Reepicheep were any judge, King Caspian was sizing up King Edmund as a king and equal.

~

    King Edmund and Queen Lucy had gone to sit on the poop deck, quite the best place to watch the sun set as the Dawn Treader sailed east. Reepicheep found his King in the cabin, his brow creased and his eyes fixed on the mirror with the lion's face which hung on the wall.  
    
    'Your Majesty?' Reepicheep announced his presence and made an elaborate bow. King Caspian beckoned him to come in, and Reepicheep closed the door behind him.

    'It's been quite a day, hasn't it, Reep?' Caspian looked as if he rather wished today hadn't happened. Reepicheep sprang lightly up onto the table in front of his King, and took a seat on Drinian's map-case.

    'It has indeed!' the Mouse declared. 'I never thought I'd see the Kings and Queens of Old not once, but _twice_ in my life time. It is a great honour for any Man or Mouse.'

    'King and Queen,' Caspian corrected him. 'We've no Peter or Susan this time. And that rotten Eustace can hardly be called a King. He's never set foot in Narnia before, and I don't see why we need him now.'

    Reepicheep kept his silence, for he wondered exactly the same thing, but felt it unwise to question the Lion's doing.

    'I don't suppose you know why they're here at all? You know him-' here Caspian tilted his head toward the lion mirror- 'better than I, after all.'

    'Majesty, that is hardly true. You have seen him quite as many times as have I. If I know anything of him better than you, it is that Aslan is not a tame Lion.'

    'I had _noticed_ that, yes,' Caspian snapped. 'And if somehow I hadn't, then someone or other tells me so every week, without fail. That doesn't answer my question, Mouse.'

    Reepicheep's tail stood up straight behind him. 'Your Majesty is weary, and so I will overlook your discourtesy. Your Majesty would do well to remember that, were it not for Aslan, Your Majesty would not be King of anywhere today.'

    Caspian extended his hand, palm up. 'My apologies, Reep. That was unfair of me. Although I swear, if King Edmund asks me one more thing about Narnian politics, I shall be most discourteous to him.' He pushed his blonde curls back out of his face. 'I'd toss him back over the side, but I suppose if Aslan wants him here I'd better not eject him.'

    Reepicheep could not supress a smile. 'Perhaps Your Majesty could be forgiven if you tossed Eustace over the side? No doubt the crew would all vouch for your good intentions.'

    Caspian seemed not to have heard this last. He sighed. 'I wish Edmund would leave well enough alone. What kind of man talks politics at sea?'

    'One who cares deeply for Narnia,' the Mouse reminded him.

    'Well so do I, but I still wish he'd leave well enough alone.'

~

    Queen Lucy and King Edmund were leaning on the starboard rail, far enough away that the steersman could not hear them. Reepicheep made his way to join them, tail swaying with the motion of the ship. Edmund caught sight of him and waved the Mouse over. Queen Lucy's face lit up, and she dropped to her knees so as to be on Reepicheep's level. Reepicheep appreciated the guesture, although from anyone else he might have thought it patronising. King Edmund turned his back to the rail and slid down to sit on the deck beside the Mouse.

    'Reep,' Edmund began, 'what's Narnia like?'

    Reepicheep turned his eye on the boy King, and found that his loyalties were not in the least divided. 'You mean, is his Majesty telling you the truth?' he asked, tail twitching.

    Edmund flushed. 'It just... well, I was just saying to Lu, what are we here for if Narnia has never been better? Don't we always turn up when we're needed to fix something?'

    'Perhaps you will be needed on the journey ahead,' Reepicheep suggested.

    'Oh, I do hope so,' Lucy said. 'I don't understand why you're so set on things being wrong, Ed. Isn't it nice just to _be_ in Narnia again, and not to have to worry about battles and kings and everything? It'll be like the old days!'

    'We _were_ kings and everything, then, Lu,' Edmund said, staring morosely at the deck. 'Narnia needed us.'

    Lucy looked dumbfounded for a moment, and Reepicheep guessed that she had never even supposed that Narnia might not need her. But then, Narnia didn't exactly need Queen Lucy to _do_ anything. Her mere presence was enough joy for any Narnian.

    'Hey, Reep,' Edmund suddenly looked up. 'What's to become of the Mice if you reach the end of the world?'

    'My cousin Peepiceek leads the Mice while I'm away,' Reepicheep explained. 'I couldn't ask for a better second-in-command. I am still, of course, the leader of the Mice of Narnia, but when the Dawn Treader returns without me, Peepiceek will formally take up the coronet.'

    'Aren't you sorry to leave?' Lucy asked, at the same time as Edmund said, 'Isn't it hard to leave your people? I mean... well, don't you have a sort of duty to them?'

    Reepicheep smiled on Queen Lucy, and admitted that he missed Narnia already, but that he expected Aslan's country to be far more beautiful. To King Edmund, he gave an almost sympathetic smile.

    'I have done my duty to Mousekind, Edmund,' he said quietly. 'They are in good hands under Peepiceek. And I must follow my own destiny. To lead the Mice of Narnia has been a great honour, but a Mouse's position is not the measure of a Mouse.'


End file.
